Fabulous experience! Our guide was so knowledgeable and friendly. Les Baux is a must see! Arles and the market in St. Remy!

We spent two wonderful days touring Provence with Greg and he made the experience exceptional. His knowledge of the history, wine, and local culture added so much depth to every stop we made. He didn’t just show us Provence—he helped us understand and appreciate it. He was engaging, thoughtful, and clearly passionate about sharing the region he loves. We learned so much while also having a relaxed and enjoyable experience. I would highly recommend him to anyone visiting Provence and would happily tour with him again.”

Domaine Lumiere, St Remy, Provence, France Last year we sold our Spanish apartment after 20 great fun years, The trouble about owning a property abroad is that you have to look after it and you feel you have to be there at every available opportunity to make it worth the trouble. It was wonderful but it was time to move on. We wanted new adventures, to see and enjoy other countries and cultures and create new memories for the family. I found Oliver’s Travels by accident but soon discovered many of our friends used this high-end company that seems to go the extra mile to find us what we wanted. It was to be France first, Italy next year and after that, who knows – Croatia perhaps or Turkey, Our requirements were quite specific – plenty of room for seven adults and two children, at least four bedrooms with bathrooms, lots of space, swimming pool and private garden, a well-equipped kitchen and lovely outside dining. We wanted somewhere near a village or town as our youngest grand-daughter, aged 11, had already decided she would cycle with her father to the local boulangerie to buy fresh croissants for breakfast. We really didn’t mind where in Provence but picked Avignon as a starting point. Our assigned agent Francesco was more than helpful as we trawled through his selections of villas until I came across Domaine Lumiere. It seemed absolutely perfect. Fresh water pool, huge garden with tennis court and a couple of friendly cats, mature gardens, close to St Remy but tucked away down a country lane. It’s a lovely old village house that had clearly been well loved – bookcases lined with both English and French books, antiques, large comfy beds – it seemed to me more than a holiday let. I had decided to book early to make sure we got our first choice and it was a good decision. I booked in June 2025 and we went for a week in the half-term holiday week at the end of May 2026. Arrival time was 5pm but after chat with the lovely manager Sabrina, we were able to arrive late morning after our flight to Marseille, not always possible if the villa is booked the previous week but worth a try. The airport is a bit chaotic but it was easy to find our hire car (we chose OK Mobility). When we drove through the heavy iron gate and walked into the house, I was almost in tears with relief because it was so beautiful, even better than the pictures. We’ve taken holiday lets before but never one like this. It immediately felt like a home. High ceilings and lovely old French furniture, every window looked out on a pretty aspect. Whoever equipped the kitchen must have been a proper cook. It had everything including the best cooking knives, three different coffee machines and some beautiful porcelain cups and saucers as well as cupboards full of colourful dinner services and plenty of glasses. The fridge-freezer was magnificent, with a clever system that meant you could open the top door without exposing the entire fridge, to extract a bottle of chilled white wine to sip on the terrace. There were five possible dining areas catering for all weathers. My favourite was a huge stone table in the garden room, that could seat at least 12 people. A well-equipped laundry room was tucked away in an outside corner. So French! I can imagine the lady of the house telling her architect she didn’t want to hear the racket of a a washing-machine spinning in the kitchen. The pool was fresh water with a filter contraption permanently floating around, so no stinging eyes from too much chlorine. Our younger daughter and family drove from Dorset, stopping off at Versailles on the way back. It meant they could bring bicycles and so we did indeed have fresh croissants for breakfast. St Remy is a charming town with a Wednesday market filled with pottery, lavender soaps, cashmere, wooden bowls and other tempting trinkets. We ate out once at the recommended Le Maison de Beouf, but sat outside where the evening was quite spoiled by local lads roaring up on down on very noisy motorbikes. In the end we decided it was foolish to go elsewhere when Domaine Lumiere was so beautiful. So we just took turns to cook dinner with produce from the local supermarket with its stunning displays of huge fresh tomatoes, strawberries, cheeses and of course local wines. My favourite was a Cotes de Rhone called Cairanne. There are plenty of gorgeous little villages to explore and another market at Eygalieres that was easier to walk around. I bought a rope of garlic and a bag of turmeric this time. A trip up the mountains to see the extraordinary rock formations of Les Baux and a visit to the sanitorium where Vincent Van Gogh stayed and painted some of his most famous works rounded off a week to remember at Domaine Lumiere.

Fantastic tour! The very professional guide with excellent English and very competent